Then and Now: The Cast of the Mary Tyler Moore Show

Airing on CBS from 1970 to 1977, the Mary Tyler Moore Show was considered a television breakthrough, featuring a single female protagonist who was independent and all about her career. For 25 years, the show held the record for most Emmys ever won. But what has the cast been up to since the show went off the air?

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THEN: Mary Tyler Moore

Mary Tyler Moore was 34 years old when she first starred as Mary Richards, a spunky thirtysomething who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis. She had already appeared in a number of television shows including the Dick Van Dyke Show, for which she won an Emmy. But the monstrous success of the Mary Tyler Moore Show solidified her place in pop culture.

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NOW: Mary Tyler Moore

In 1980, Moore added an Oscar nom for her role in Ordinary People to her resume. She's since appeared in several Broadway shows, TV movies and has had recurring roles on That '70s Show and Hot in Cleveland. She also released two memoirs—one in which she admitted that she was a recovering alcoholic, the other about living with type I diabetes. She also works as an activist for animal rights and juvenile diabetes awareness. Sadly, Moore passed away on January 25, 2017, at 80 years old.

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THEN: Edward Asner

Asner played Mary Richards' super tough but lovable newsroom boss, producer Lou Grant. The workaholic seemed like a grump at first, but as the show progressed, he revealed the teddy bear within—and he always had a soft spot for Mary.

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NOW: Edward Asner

After the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Asner starred in a spin-off show about his character Lou Grant, which aired for five years. Fun fact: He's the only actor to ever win an Emmy for the same character in both the comedy and drama categories. More recently, Asner played Santa Clause in the movie Elf and starred as the voice of Carl Fredricksen in Pixar's Up.

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THEN: Valerie Harper

Harper played Rhoda, Mary's loud-mouthed New Yorker best friend and upstairs neighbor. She was sassy and wise-cracking—and a little self-deprecating. Eventually, she moved back to New York City and fell in love.

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NOW: Valerie Harper

After four seasons of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Harper's character also got her own spin-off show, Rhoda, which aired for four years. Ultimately, she won four Emmys and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Rhoda. After Rhoda, Harper starred in the sitcom Valerie in the mid '80s, and later made appearances on Sex and the City and Melrose Place. She competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2013, after revealing that cancer cells had spread into her brain (she revealed the details of her battle with lung cancer in 2009). While chemotherapy has helped, Harper unfortunately faced further medical difficulties in 2015.

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THEN: Gavin MacLeod

Murray Slaughter was the lovable news writer at WJM-TV. He was happily married, but was nevertheless head-over-heels for Mary. MacLeod was nominated twice for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Slaughter.

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NOW: Gavin MacLeod

After the Mary Tyler Moore Show, MacLeod went on to star as Captain Stubing in the hugely successful series The Love Boat, which earned him three Golden Globe nominations. Fittingly enough, he is the spokesperson for Princess Cruises, a job he has held since 1986. In the mid-'80s, he also became an Evangelical Christian, an experience he details in his 2013 memoir.

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THEN: Ted Knight

Ted Baxter was the narcissistic and dim-witted anchorman on the show. He was quick to mess up and wasn't that invested in the topics he was covering, but he honestly believed that he was the country's best news anchor (and he did admittedly have great hair).

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Ted Knight, 1923-1986

Ted Knight received six Emmy nominations for his hilarious role on the show, winning twice. After the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Knight went on to star in his own eponymous show, but it unfortunately only lasted for six episodes. Sadly, in 1977, just a few months after the end of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Knight was diagnosed with cancer. He received treatment, but in 1985, the cancer returned and spread. He passed away from complications due to surgery in 1986, at 62 years old.

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THEN: Cloris Leachman

Leachman played Phyllis Lindstrom, the nosy, snobby wife of dermatologist Dr. Lars Lindstrom. She owned and managed the building where Mary and Rhoda lived, and Rhoda and Mary were close friends with Phyllis' daughter, Bess.

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NOW: Cloris Leachman

Leachman left the Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1975 to star in her own spin-off series, Phyllis, in which she and her daughter, Bess, relocated to San Francisco after the death of her husband. After the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Leachman rocketed to true stardom, winning an Oscar for her role in The Last Picture Show. She's also won a record-breaking nine Emmys, more recently appearing on TV in Malcolm in the Middle and Raising Hope. She also has the distinction of being the oldest contestant to ever compete on Dancing with the Stars.

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THEN: Betty White

White played Sue Ann Nivens, the perky, perfectionist host of The Happy Homemaker on WJM-TV. She had all the cooking and decorating tips one could ever need—but sometimes she didn't quite know how to market those skills, often choosing some rather strange themes for her episodes. Although she was completely sweet on-screen, off-screen she was snarky, mean and obsessed with men.

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NOW: Betty White

As we all know, White went on to star in the much-loved sitcom The Golden Girls, as sweetly naïve Rose Nylund. Her career received a huge revival in the 2000s, and she made numerous television appearances, including a starring role as Elka Ostrovsky in the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland, and a presenting gig on the reality show Betty White's Off Their Rockers. She also played roles in the films Bringing Down the House, The Proposal and You Again. She even won an Emmy for her gig as a host on SNL in 2010 (she's the oldest person to have ever hosted the show).

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